Collagen Anchoring Protein-Nucleic Acid Chimeric Probe for In Situ In Vivo Mapping of a Tumor-Specific Protease

Anal Chem. 2023 Dec 19;95(50):18487-18496. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03775. Epub 2023 Dec 6.

Abstract

In situ analysis of biomarkers in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is important to reveal their potential roles in tumor progression and early diagnosis of tumors but remains a challenge. In this work, a bottom-up modular assembly strategy was proposed for a multifunctional protein-nucleic chimeric probe (PNCP) for in situ mapping of cancer-specific proteases. PNCP, containing a collagen anchoring module and a target proteolysis-responsive isothermal amplification sensor module, can be anchored in the collagen-rich TME and respond to the target protease in situ and generate amplified signals through rolling cycle amplification of tandem fluorescent RNAs. Taking matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), a tumor-associated protease, as the model, the feasibility of PNCP was demonstrated for the in situ detection of MMP-2 activity in 3D tumor spheroids. Moreover, in situ in vivo mapping of MMP-2 activity was also achieved in a metastatic solid tumor model with high sensitivity, providing a useful tool for evaluating tumor metastasis and distinguishing highly aggressive forms of tumors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Collagen
  • Humans
  • Matrix Metalloproteinase 2* / genetics
  • Neoplasms*
  • Nucleic Acid Probes
  • Peptide Hydrolases
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Matrix Metalloproteinase 2
  • Peptide Hydrolases
  • Collagen
  • Nucleic Acid Probes